Pokemon Topaz
by Cranihunt
Summary: A group of Trainers must band together to save the world from a force dedicated to upsetting the natural balance of life. Along the way, our heroes discover their true selves as they realize their intertwining pasts.
1. Chapter 1

Pokemon Topaz

_**Pokemon Topaz**_

_**Chapter One: An Unexpected Strike**_

I hate days like these. Days where everything you thought you knew, is lost. Days where, just as you're about to make some sense out of the mysteries that surround you, things go horribly, horribly wrong. I used to believe that everything was like our village, happy and peaceful. But I was wrong. I now know that there are people out there, who destroy everything. Everything that one can come to love.

The day started out as any other. First, I fed my one and only Pokemon, Houndour. Next, I ate, got dressed, and took Houndour for a walk. Houndour barked excitedly as I opened the front door of our little house, and it ran outside.

The air was very cool and crisp as I trudged through the mud from the rain last night. Houndour barked happily and tried to chase any wild Pikachu that he saw. He chased after one and barked at it until the mouse Pokemon climbed up a tree. Houndour tried to climb up the tree, but couldn't. I laughed at its poor attempts.

Our village, peacefully isolated from the rest of the world, was slowly being rebuilt, but our numbers we still very minimal due to the attack that had occurred. Three years ago, a large group of Rhydon, Charizard, and Tyranitar, along with a group of Trainers, had mysteriously appeared at our village, and began to attack us. We lost many villagers that day, as none of us had Pokemon nearly as powerful as the mystery Trainers. A group of a hundred or so of us survived the slaughter, as we had managed to escape the attack and hide in the nearby forest. We could do nothing but watch as our village was burned to the ground, and our friends and family died trying to protect us from the Trainers.

In the last three years since then, I had grown up a lot. I started to see that not everyone believed in peace and happiness, that there are some people out there who want power. For a fourteen year old, I had a lot of deep and complex thoughts swirling around inside of me.

I snapped back to reality, managing to hop over a few planks of wood lying on the ground. We the surviving villagers had been working together to rebuild our village ever since that one night. The village was almost completely rebuilt, and every night watchmen were sent out to patrol the nearby area, in case of another attack.

We weren't taking any chances.

I noticed that my hands were starting to get sweaty, and I could feel my eyes starting to water up just thinking about that night. This always happened to me, and I hated it. I had to forget about that night, and move on.

Starting today.

As Houndour and I completed our daily route around the village, and headed back for home, the village storyteller, Yogrin, half ran, half walked up to me. This was weird, because Yogrin had gone missing a few months ago, and he had been presumed dead. He seemed very excited about something. I just stood there like an idiot with my mouth open.

Panting, he said, "Syphon, there you are! I've been looking for you! My, you've grown these last few months. No, no, I must stay focused. I need you to come with me right away. I have discovered something, something that I must tell you in private!"

"Yogrin, you've been-"I started, but he grabbed my shirt and pulled me along. There weren't many people up at this hour, so, amidst my protests and questions about where the hell he had been for the last half a year, Yogrin managed to lead me to his house.

Did I say house? More like shack.

The roof of the place needed repair, and it looked like a Snorlax had tried to come in through the front door. The single window was grimy, and I almost gagged when a few Wurmple scattered out from under the welcome mat.

I followed the stooped man into the shack. I hadn't been in it for awhile, so the dimness was the first thing that struck me. It smelled musty, too, and the floor was slightly damp. It reminded me of a cave.

"Yogrin, you seriously have to do something with this place. It's a dump." I said disgustedly.

The old man chuckled. "I see you haven't lost your sense of humour, lad. And your voice has gotten a little deeper, too."

I smiled, and agreed. I liked how my voice had changed. But then I remembered why I was with Yogrin in the first place.

"Alright, I haven't seen you in months. Everyone's looking for you. Where have you been?" I asked. I couldn't take it. I needed to know.

The man stared at me, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. His fierce, but knowing eyes gazed into mine, as if he was trying to read my thoughts. He was about the same size as me, and I didn't know whether that was because I had grown, or he had shrunk. Maybe both.

After a while, the man said, "I have been doing a bit of traveling, to answer your question. But, that is why I have come to you!"

"So…What did you want to tell me?" I questioned.

Yogrin sat down on one of his chairs. He told me to take a seat, which I did. The chair was hard and uncomfortable, but it was better than standing. The old man picked up his pipe from the nearby table, lit it, and took a deep breath. His eyebrows danced up and down on his forehead, like hairy Caterpie. The number of wrinkles around his mouth doubled when he opened his mouth to speak.

"Lad, I've finally figured out who attacked us three years ago. It took me such a long time to realize who they were, and what their motives were, but I've done it." He looked at me triumphantly, as if he expected some praise.

Houndour, who had been curled up beside my feet, perked his ears up and regarded Yogrin with interest. The look in his eyes reminded me of when he just got a new toy, and was interested and curious in it.

I looked at the old man, waiting for him to go on. When I realized that he wasn't going to speak, I said, "Well, who did it?"

Yogrin bent over, almost so that our faces were touching. He lowered his voice, almost to a whisper. I noticed how bloodshot his eyes were, and how mangled his beard looked.

"You see, they call themselves The Shadow. I have learned that they have many strong Pokemon, and that they have attacked other settlements as well as ours. They are looking for something, Syphon. Looking for something that can change this world."

So I finally knew who had attacked us. The Shadow. Nice name. Sounded kinda stupid, to be honest. But they had power. And that was the ultimate weapon.

What did they want? Who were they? Some criminal organization bent on becoming rich? Did they want world domination? Who knew…?

"Yogrin, tell me, how did you learn of this?" I asked. Yogrin stared at something I couldn't see, sighed, and then said, "I really-"

At that moment, the front door was knocked down. It smashed against the floor and three figures entered the room, followed by three Pokemon.

The first man was tall, muscular, and had a large mustache. His dark skin reminded me of leather. The second man was tall as well, but was lanky. The third man reminded me of my father, a regular sized guy with short, black hair. All three of the men had a black band around their right forearm.

"You thought you could hide, didn't you, old man?" The first man asked with a sneer. The guy's voice was low, but he didn't intimidate me.

He would.

I looked over at Yogrin, but he did not return the stare.

"But I betcha you didn't figure we'd follow you back, huh? You must be losing your memory or something, to leave a trail like you did." The first guy, the leader, I guessed, continued.

The three Pokemon were Primeape, Blaziken, and a Charmeleon. All three of them looked to be at a really high level, and the Blaziken flexed its arms impatiently. I was starting to get a little nervous.

The storyteller spoke in a low voice. "Syphon, go out the back door, quickly! I'll try to fend them off."

"But-"

"Go!"

"Yogrin, come-"

"Go! Syphon, leave without me! Now!" The old man yelled. I had never seen him this stern before. It looked like he was scared, and I doubted the guy could handle these creeps.

"Houndou!" Houndour growled at the men, but the Primape kicked it back. My temper flared, but I knew I couldn't do anything. I picked up Houndour and ran for the back of the shack, where I turned the knob to the back door, and froze.

Two more men were waiting outside, ready to pounce on me if I escaped the men at the front. They didn't see me, so I quietly turned back around, not knowing what to do. I heard talking, so I crept back up to the front, holding my breath.

"Leave now, Basktrix. I do not want to have to teach you a lesson like before." Yogrin said in a deep, determined voice.

So Yogrin had battled these men before. Where? When he was, "traveling"? And since when did Yogrin have any Pokemon, anyways?

I heard the three men laugh, and then the muscular man, Basktrix, spoke again, "Yogrin, you are as stubborn as ever. You can't escape us like last time. You know that, don't you? Oh, and I almost forgot. Hrellgren, take care of the kid. Let's hope he's Syphon; I'm tired of this mission."

My heart stopped. They knew my name? How? What mission? And that Hrellgren guy was coming for me. I started to run towards the back of the shack, then realized that there were two more men out there. While thinking of what to do, the lanky man, I figured Hrellgren, stepped towards me, his Charmeleon behind him.

"So I see that you didn't run. You're no fun, kid. Oh well, at least _I_ get to kill you." With that, he ordered a Flamethrower from his Charmeleon. I was terrified, and I couldn't move.

"Hound!" Houndour shot an Ember at the oncoming attack, giving me enough time to order my legs to move.

"Houndour, c'mon let's go!" I shouted, knowing my little Pokemon couldn't hold off that freak and his Charmeleon.

Houndour rolled out of the way of the two fire attacks, and the flames landed on the ground behind us, separating us from Yogrin and the others.

"Nice work kid, now this whole dump is gonna collapse on us." Hrellgren growled at me.

I suddenly noticed his Charmeleon had snuck up behind me, and, as I turned around, it used a Slash. I jumped backwards, dodging the attack.

I heard Houndour barking to my left, and I saw that Hrellgren was holding my Pokemon by the neck. I could barely see anything else, as the flames were getting pretty intense and the smoke was pretty thick. Hrellgren must've not seen me, because I managed to tackle into him, and Houndour landed on his feet.

"You're pretty pesky, kid. Whatever, you're done for." And with that, Hrellgren left the shack through the back door. His Charmeleon ran after him, just as a few burning boards crashed down in front of the door.

We were trapped.

"Houndour! Houndour!" I yelled, looking around for my friend. I started to choke on the smoke, and my vision was getting pretty hazy.

I collapsed to my feet, and the heat from the flames was incredible. I must have been hallucinating, because I could see something shining in front of me, and the flames seemed to back away. I started to smile, half unconscious, when I realized that the shining object was gone, and the flames were closing back in on me.

I could hear barking, but it seemed far off in the distance. I could hear a man yelling, calling for something. And I could hear a scream. A bloodcurdling screech, which must have awoken the entire village. As I drifted into blackness, I had two thoughts:

The first, that I was about to die.

And the second, that the scream was coming from me.


	2. Chapter 2

Pokemon Topaz

_**Pokemon Topaz**_

_**Chapter Two: Alone**_

_**He bent down and picked up the Pokeball off the ground. Smiling at it, he took a few steps toward me. Blinding light emerged from the Pokeball as the Pokemon from within was released. The creature stepped towards me, opened its mouth, and released a Hyper Beam directly at me...**_

--

I woke up in a cold sweat. It took my heart a few minutes to return to normal. When I had calmed down enough to realize that I was safe from the attack, I noticed that I was surrounded by darkness. Frightened, I started to thrash about, but couldn't. There was something heavy on top of me. The more I struggled, the more something dug into my back. I yelled out, but my cry was muffled by the heavy things on top of me.

Eventually, I managed to get one arm free, and create a hole for myself to climb out of. Struggling, I slowly pulled myself out of whatever I had been trapped in, grimacing in pain.

My whole body felt like a Rhydon sat on me. I could barely keep my eyes open without my vision starting to blur and my head starting to spin. Eventually, I forced my way out of the rubble, and lay on the ground, exhausted.

_**What…Where am I? Ugh, my head. What kind of crazy party did I go to last night?**_

Even thinking in my mind hurt. I don't even know how that's possible, but that's how I felt. Suddenly, I noticed the ground below me felt charred, and burnt. I gradually got to my feet, to take a look at what exactly I had been lying in.

Then, I saw it. The remains of a small village hut. My heart started to pound in my chest as I struggled to remember what had happened, to make me end up in a pile of debris.

Then the memories hit me. I remembered Yogrin's words, and the mysterious Shadow men that had attacked us. I started to feel weak again, just thinking about the whole thing. I started to fall over, but managed to keep my balance by stumbling backwards. Turning around, I looked out at the village.

And was horrified.

Smoke billowed into the sky. Flames still burned in small areas. There was nothing left. Nothing. All of the shacks, cottages, huts, and buildings had been burned down, once again. My mouth fell open as I stared at the remains of my village, seeing nothing but piles and piles of death. I felt a tear roll down my cheek, and then another, and another. I didn't care if I was crying.

As I took a step forward, I stepped on a loose nail from one of the boards. The nail pierced through my shoe, and into my foot.

"Arggh!" I yelled, crying out in pain. I fell to the ground, cursing, and started trying my best to take off my shoe without feeling any pain. I gingerly slipped off the shoe, and grimaced.

There was a small hole in my foot, with some blood and other crazy stuff coming out of it. That nail really did some damage to my foot.

I was having a hard time seeing anything through my own tears, but I noticed that the nail wasn't stuck in my foot. That would've been really painful. All I could do was rip off some of my tattered shirt and make a little cast to wrap around my foot. I then stuffed it back in my shoe. That would have to do for now.

Gingerly, I stepped down on my foot. It hurt. But at least I could walk. I would have to put up with the pain for now.

I turned back around, taking a long look at Yogrin's destroyed shack. I started to pull away some boards, doing my best to spread out the junk lying around. I was searching for something, _anything _that could help me. But there was nothing. I found a piece of the chair I had been sitting in, still hot, and some other crap, but nothing that could really help me out.

I sighed, and starting to walk, or limp, around my destroyed village. Everywhere I went, it was the same. I saw my best friend's home, destroyed and burnt to a crisp. It was weird though, and a little bit creepy, because I couldn't find anyone else. You'd think if a bunch of houses burned down, there'd be some bodies around. But there was no one. And no signs of life.

Just me.

And I couldn't stand it.

I started to freak out. Everything, everything, was gone. Nothing remained, nothing except smoke, flames, and debris. Why had they done this? Why? We didn't deserve this! We didn't deserve this!

"Why!" I started to scream to the sky.

"Why! Why! Why!"

I started to shake uncontrollably. My entire body collapsed, and I lay like that for what seemed like an eternity. I was scared. Scared, because I was all alone. No one was with me, to tell me where to go, to tell me what to do. I was scared.

"Houndour!" I heard a growl. I got up, wiping the tears from my eyes. I turned around, and saw Houndour bounding towards me. I ran towards my Pokemon, and embraced it in a hug. I wasn't alone. I had my friend with me.

"Houndour! You're alive!" I cried happily as I received a lick.

My friend was with me. I wasn't going to have to go through hell alone.

"Houndour, how did you survive the fire? And where have you been?" I asked my buddy.

Houndour started to bark, in the direction of the setting sun. I wished I could communicate with him.

"Uh…heat? No, light! OK, light. What about light?" I wondered aloud.

Suddenly, the thought hit me. The light I had seen as I lay in Yogrin's burning home. It saved me from the flames. Somehow, that mysterious light must've saved Houndour too.

"So maybe Yogrin was saved to. And my Mom, and Dad, and everyone else!" I said, false hope filling my mind. I wanted to believe it was true. But there was no one else here.

"Hound…Houn" Houndour started to sniff the air. Growling, he ran around me, and started to bark at a patch of grass on the outskirts of the village.

"Houndour, what is it? A-" I started, but was interrupted by a loud screeching coming from the bush.

Houndour ran to the bush, and jumped at whatever was in there. The little guy was pretty brave today.

Houndour and the creature rolled out of the bush, each trying to get in a hit on each other.

"Dour!"

"Snea!"

The two Pokemon called out their different growls and screeches as each tried desperately to get the upper hand. Despite the wild Pokemon's resistance, Houndour managed to knock it over, and then hit it with an Ember. The Pokemon was knocked back a little, but used its claws to shoot what I guessed to be an Icy Wind at Houndour. Houndour rolled out of the way, but the Pokemon was charging in hard at my friend.

"Sneeeee!" It screeched, its claw glowing.

"Houndour, get outta there!" I called desperately. It was too late. Houndour was hit, and stumbled backwards.

"Hound!" Houndour yelped as it crashed to the ground.

"Houndour…No, this thing is tough." I said with gritted teeth. To my amazement, Houndour rose to his feet, exhausted but ready for more.

"Alright buddy, let's use an Ember." I suggested.

Houndour opened his mouth, and then unleashed a stream of flames at the attacking Pokemon. The attack hit it square in the chest, sending the Pokemon flying backwards, where it hit a tree and fell to the ground.

"Sel!" It cried as it hit the ground. It crawled to its feet, its long nose sniffing the air around us cautiously. The next thing I knew it was gone, leaving only a small hole in the bush where it had scampered into.

"Good work Houndour. Whatever that Pokemon was, I don't think it'll be bothering us anymore." I congratulated my Pokemon, who tiredly walked over to me. I cradled my friend in my arms.

"C'mon, let's find some food. I'm starving."

The two of us walked through the remains of the village, looking for what resembled the bakery. We spotted the half burned sign, and I limped over to it. Setting Houndour on the ground, I dug through the debris, trying to find some food. I soon realized how foolish I was. The bread would have burned away faster than anything else in the bakery. Dejected, I turned to face Houndour, when another idea came to me.

"Well, let's try this. Sniff the air, for any other humans. Maybe you can find a scent or something!"

I was getting excited. Maybe someone was hiding out in the forest, or in a nearby cave. With Houndour's acute sense of smell, we would be able to find them easily.

However, it wasn't that easy. Houndour started to smell around, but couldn't find any other scents from humans.

So that proved it. We were truly alone. Me and Houndour. Alone in this ghost town.

It was almost completely dark. It was getting pretty cold, too. I sat on the ground, and Houndour lay at my feet.

I knew that we couldn't survive long in the village. Houndour was too young and weak to hunt, and I wasn't some crazy guy who could go hunting in the woods and bring back a Tauros to eat or anything. I sighed, and asked my friend to light some of the sticks we had gathered, making a fire.

"Well Houndour…" I started, the warmth from the fire illuminating the area around us.

After awhile, I continued. "It looks like we're gonna have to leave the village." Houndour looked up at me and whimpered softly. I patted his head and looked up at the sky.

I didn't want to leave the village, but I knew that we had no other choice. I decided that we would embark tomorrow morning. But for where?

After a good fifteen minutes, I had sorted out a few more thoughts. We were still very hungry, but we didn't dare look for berries or the like in the forest, not in the dark. So we would get some food tomorrow, and then head off. We'd have to find another town or something. A place with people. A new home.

I looked over at Houndour, who had fallen asleep, and remembered the day I first got him. It hadn't been that long ago, on my thirteenth birthday that my parents gave me my first Pokemon. It had taken my Dad a long time to find a Houndour, as they were extremely rare around where we lived. But he had managed to find one, alone and abandoned. Houndour's mother had been killed by a hunter, we guessed, for its horns. We gave Houndour a new home, and I loved the little guy.

"Good night, my friend."

--

_**I wasn't alone. I could feel another presence near me. I looked about, not knowing where I was. After what seemed like an eternity, I saw a bright light, and I could feel it coming towards me. The same light that had pushed back the flames in Yogrin's hut. The same light that had saved me. **_

_**I felt safe, with this light here. I smiled, and an image filled my mind. Houndour running around in circles, barking madly. I realized that this was inside of Yogrin's home, as the flames were closing in on Houndour. I could see my limp body lying off to the side, and a glowing light in between me and Houndour. The flames started to disappear, as a bright light filled my eyes.**_

_**Now I could see a cave, north of my village. I was going through the cave, to see a village, and then the bright light blinded me, giving way to darkness…**_

--

I awoke, seeing nothing but blackness. Our fire had gone out, but I wasn't cold. I knew that I wasn't just dreaming. I felt it. I knew that my…my…my vision was true. I knew where we were headed.


	3. Chapter 3

Pokemon Topaz

_**Pokemon Topaz**_

_**Chapter Three: Attack!**_

Night had fallen over the region of Abonade. A group of men rode on some Rapidash through a very lonely valley. They galloped along, dashing over stones and grass, headed for an unknown destination. As the fire horses ran over the ground at an amazing speed, the leader of the men, a giant man with a scar over one eye and a small goatee, stopped suddenly. The rest of the men stopped their Rapidash, the Pokemon whinnying nervously. The man started to breathe heavily, then a broad smile stretched out across his face. The other men looked eagerly at their leader, waiting for him to speak.

"It's here." He said.

--

I woke to the sound of barking. Groggily, I opened one eye, and then the other, instantly noticing that it was still dark out. I guessed it to be the early morning, and I was pretty annoyed to be woken up. The barking wasn't stopping, and now I could feel something nudging my back.

"The hell…?" I rolled over to see Houndour trying to get my attention. The little dog's face lit up seeing that I was awake.

"Houndour…What's going on? You know we need all the sleep we can get." I patted my friend gently, but Houndour pulled away. Something was definitely up.

I slowly got to my feet, wincing as I realized my foot hadn't magically healed overnight, like I had hoped it would. I could hear a few Hoothoot rustling around in the trees around us, but I didn't think Houndour would wake me up over something like that.

"So…What's goin' on?" I turned to Houndour, and my friend started to growl. Slowly, he crawled towards the nearby forest, teeth bared. I didn't know what my Pokemon was getting so uptight about.

Then I heard it.

A rustle in the bushes. That got my heart going, because this wasn't just some Pikachu or Bidoof hanging around. The whole bush was shaking, and now I could see the nearby trees shaking.

No way in hell was this a Pikachu.

Suddenly, the rustling stopped. I relaxed, and noticed Houndour slowly back away from the bush.

Then, a snarl came from behind me, and I whirled around. I saw a giant eye looking at me, and then it vanished into the bushes. Sweat beaded on my forehead. If its eyes were so big, its body must've been huge. How could the two of us possibly fend it off?

I slowly got the feeling that, whatever this Pokemon was, it didn't want to be friends.

It was looking for a little 5 A.M. snack.

I looked down at Houndour, reassuring myself that he was beside me. The snarl then came from my side, and I jumped back as a giant paw came down right where I had been standing.

"Urrrrr! Raarrrrrg!" The creature screamed. Or growled. I wasn't really sure. I was too busy being terrified. All I knew was it was a kind of Bear Pokemon, but I couldn't figure out what type. The Pokemon lumbered out of the trees, and I stared up at the six foot behemoth. It flexed its claws and opened its mouth, revealing row after row of sharp, dagger like fangs that flashed in the moonlight. It roared again, and globs of saliva landed all over my body.

Why did these things happen to me?

Terrified, I ran behind a tree, Houndour beside me. The claw slammed right beside my head, clawing away the bark from the tree. I managed to call out to Houndour, and order a Faint Attack.

Houndour disappeared and reappeared right in front of the Bear Pokemon. It tackled the giant and then retreated back to me, where it shot the creature with an Ember.

"Urrrraaaaaaarrrrr!" The Pokemon snarled as it got back up to its feet, fur slightly singed. I could smell its breath from several feet away, reminding me of a Grimer.

The Pokemon charged towards me, and rammed into my side. I collapsed to the ground, and one of its claws sunk into the earth, right beside my ear. Screaming for help, I rolled to the side, just as the Pokemon lunged to the ground, missing me by an inch.

I crawled up to my feet, and tumbled backwards behind another tree.

"Houndour, start charging up for a Flamethrower!" I yelled.

"Hound!" My Pokemon opened its mouth, red embers flickering.

I hoped that a good Flamethrower could hold off the attacking Pokemon, but it would be a risk to try and use Flamethrower. Houndour was still too weak and small to be using such strong attacks; it would take awhile to charge up.

I poked my head out from behind the tree, and wished I hadn't.

The Bear Pokemon charged at me, and swung its giant paw at my head. I ducked and rolled to one side, but then something, a branch I figured, struck me on my side. I yelled out and jumped up, inspecting my side. Before I could check for damage, however, the Pokemon's paw struck me on the side of the head. I went flying back, and hit the ground, hard. I tasted blood in my mouth.

I heard Houndour snarl at the creature and release the fully charged Flamethrower, sending the bear back. It snarled at us and fell to the ground. I quickly stumbled to my feet, ignoring the pain. We had to get out of here.

"Houndour, good work, let's go." I panted, my side burning.

I then took a look at Houndour. It had a cut above one eye, and some other scrapes along its sides, but nothing too intense. Houndour actually looked pumped.

I was just about pick up Houndour and get the hell out of there, when a low grumble came from behind me. Wincing in pain and fear, I whirled to face the creature behind me. I felt my heart stop. There, in front of me, stood the lumbering figure of the bear Pokemon, ready for more battling.

"Urrrrarrrrrruuuuuu!" It bellowed at me. Houndour leapt to its feet and lunged at the Pokemon, but was easily swatted away like an annoying Butterfree. The Pokemon growled at Houndour, licking its lips. My eyes widened as the bear opened its jaws, and reached for Houndour.

I collided into the Pokemon with all of my strength, thinking about how much of an idiot I was. But I couldn't let the creature eat Houndour. I started tearing out its fur, pushing the Pokemon back, _anything _to get it away from us. The bear looked a little surprised to see a human stand up to it, before it put its mean face back on and swatted me away.

The giant bear Pokemon took a step towards me, but at that moment Houndour jumped at the creature and clamped down on one of its arms. The Pokemon roared out in pain and started flailing its arm about. I could see Houndour's teeth sinking into the Pokemon's arm, blood starting to gush out.

"Uraaaaaaarggggg!" It bellowed, managing to ram Houndour into a tree, where my friend fell to the ground.

"Houndour!" I cried out in anguish. The Bear Pokemon looked up at me, flashed its teeth at me, and then charged towards where I was. It raised a paw and uttered a war cry. I closed my eyes, ready for the finishing blow.

The blow never came.

I was surprised that nothing was happening. Did the Pokemon flee? But why would it, when it was mere seconds away from a meal? Perhaps it didn't want to eat us, but then why would it have attacked us in the first place? Were we in its territory? I cautiously lifted one eyelid, and then the other, and peered around at the destroyed campsite. The fire had been stomped out, and blood stained the ground. Small patches of hair from the two Pokemon lay in different areas, carpeting the ground. It made me want to vomit.

I realized that Houndour was probably dying. I ran around the campsite, looking for my Pokemon, but I couldn't find it anywhere. I started to panic. What if the Pokemon had taken Houndour and ran back to its den, or cave, or whatever it lived in?

"Houndour…" I cried softly. I fell to the ground, suddenly aware of my exhaustion. I heard a low growl, and swore. I couldn't battle another Pokemon, I couldn't. I didn't have enough strength. Even if I did, how do you take on of those things? The growl came again, and the giant bear Pokemon we had almost been killed by rolled out of the bushes, defeated.

I gradually pushed myself up, staring at the bear Pokemon. What had happened? Suddenly, the Pokemon that Houndour and I had battled earlier that day jumped out of a bush, carrying Houndour in its arms. Its weasel nose sniffed the air triumphantly.

"Sneas!" It said proudly as it laid Houndour gingerly at my feet. I stared at the little Pokemon in awe, and realized that it was a Sneasel. Its sharp claws were dripping with blood, and I realized that the little Sneasel had been battling the bear Pokemon.

I looked at the Sneasel, and then back at the bear Pokemon, not knowing what had happened.

"Wh-What did you do?" I asked the Sneasel.

Sneasel made a series of gestures, growls, and screeches. From its simple game of charades, I managed to learn that the Sneasel saw us being attacked by the bear Pokemon, and caught the attacker by surprise. The Sneasel had saved us, even after we had attacked it the day before.

"Sneasel…Thank you. For everything. Without you, I was done for. And you managed to save Houndour too." I smiled at the little weasel Pokemon.

I took another look at the attacking Pokemon. I noticed some rings on its stomach, and realized that it was an Ursaring. I felt weak just thinking about that. Ursaring were vicious, territorial Pokemon. We were extremely lucky to be alive right now.

"Houndour…" I got to my knees, and picked up my friend. He was breathing heavily.

"Sneasel…what can we do?" I turned to the Pokemon desperately. It ran off, motioning me to follow. I ran after the Pokemon, and into the forest, Houndour in my arms.

Vines and thorns scraped against my skin as I trudged through the underbrush. By the time I had made it out of the bushes, I had even more cuts than when I had entered. Houndour lay panting in my arms, looking pretty grim.

I had to do something.

Sneasel kept on leading me somewhere, through the clearing. I just hoped it knew where it was going.

Following dumbly, I stumbled along. I felt like I was in a dream, everything looked and sounded so peaceful. I felt so tired, and my whole body was numb. After a while of stumbling down a dirt path, and climbing over a few rocks, I realized what Sneasel had led us to.

A massive heap of stones, pebbles, rocks, and boulders lay in front of us. In the center of the pile was a little hole, big enough for a Sneasel. The inside of the hole was covered with soft grasses, moss, and leaves.

It was the Sneasel's home.

Sneasel motioned for me to stop, and ran forward, hopping onto the rocks with ease. In a matter of seconds it had climbed into its little burrow and was searching for something.

"Sne-Snease!" It screeched happily and climbed out of its home, holding something in its claws. It bounded back over to me, and I couldn't help but think of how much energy the tiny creature had. It handed me the item it was holding and I realized that it was some cloth. Opening it, I pulled out some bread, berries, and a bit of fruit.

"Sneasel, are you giving us this food?" I asked incredulously.

The little weasel hopped up and down excitedly, all the while nodding vigorously. It pointed with its claw to a nearby stream, and I understood that it was trying to tell me that there was water we could drink if we were thirsty. I nodded and thanked the Sneasel again.

Houndour, who had smelled the food, lifted its head and took a bite out of one of the fruits, juice flowing out of its mouth. I helped myself to a berry, and the three of us ate our feast. I realized that there were some Oran Berries in the pile, and gave them to Houndour. They would heal my buddy up.

Afterward, the three of us went to the stream and took a long drink. I put Houndour into the ice cold water, and it yelped out.

"Houndour, this water will help clean your wounds." I calmed my Pokemon. It immediately stopped its barking and let me help out. After that was done, I tried to clean out some of my cuts, and realized why Houndour had yelled out. It really stung. I tried to clean my body as best as I could, but I couldn't do a very thorough job.

"I needed soap." I mumbled to myself as I climbed out of the stream. I spotted Houndour and Sneasel talking to each other, and I walked up to them. Houndour noticed my presence and loped over to me, slightly favouring one leg. Sneasel followed behind, helping Houndour move along.

"Hey Houndour, your leg should heal up in the next few days, so don't worry. Oh, and I gotta thank you, Sneasel, for all of your help." I said. As soon as I had said that, Sneasel bounded towards its home, crawled in, and then crawled out. It ran over to me and handed me a metal object.

Fingering it, I realized that it was a Pokeball. "Where did you find this, little guy?" I asked.

The Sneasel shook its head. I stared at it, trying to figure out what it was trying to convey to me. It made a few more movements, and I realized it was trying to tell me something about the term, "little guy".

"Let's see…" I thought. Then, a thought hit me. "You didn't like me calling you little guy, 'cause you're not a guy, are you? You're a girl?" I asked.

The Sneasel smiled and nodded up and down. I patted it on the head and asked, "So, you handed me this Pokeball, which means… You wanna come with us?"

The weasel jumped higher than I thought possible, all the while nodding. Houndour looked at Sneasel and barked in a friendly, sociable tone, as if welcoming it to our group. Sneasel nodded at Houndour and smiled again.

I laughed, and sat on the ground, my Houndour and my newest Pokemon, Sneasel, deep in conversation. Smiling, I lay back on the ground, trying to get some more sleep.

Maybe things weren't so bad after all.

--

Yogrin landed on the cold, hard cell. He shivered and cautiously got up, not wanting to observe where he was, although he already had a good idea. He was in a small cell, which contained only a hard looking cot. The walls were slimy, and there was a small window up too high for anyone to reach. Yogrin realized that its only purpose was to let enough light in to see.

He sat down on the cot, and a Wurmple crawled out of it. Alarmed, the old man jumped up, but felt foolish at being startled by a mere Bug Pokemon. He lifted up the pillow of the cot to see three more Wurmple, which all scurried away.

Sighing, the old man sat down on the bed, his shoulders hunched. He sat like that for a long time, until he heard a noise. He lifted his head out of his hands and saw that the door to his cell was being opened.

"Who's there?" Yogrin asked fearfully.

A man stepped into his room, followed by a Zangoose and a Bronzong. Yogrin eyed the man, realizing who he was instantly.

The man smiled at Yogrin, and spoke.

"So we meet again…Master."


	4. Chapter 4

Pokemon Topaz

_**Pokemon Topaz**_

_**Chapter Four: The Battle of Fists, Flames, and Ice **_

The first thing I thought of was how uncomfortable my bed felt. I tried to move around to get into a more comfortable position, but I was unable to. Frowning, I tried to feel around for my pillow, but couldn't find it. I realized that I must have knocked it off of my bed while I was sleeping. Oh well, I was too lazy to get it. I tried to grab the sheets that covered me, but couldn't find any.

I opened my eyes groggily, remembering where I was. I wanted to get up, because I knew that today would be a big day. Me, Houndour, and Sneasel were headed north to that cave from my vision, and it would've been a smart idea to leave as early as possible. But I was really comfortable, even lying here in the dirt. The sun felt warm on my face…

"Hound?" A slobbery tongue licked my face, and I sat up, spitting out the Houndour saliva.

"Hey…G'mornin', Houndour. Thanks for the kiss." I petted Houndour for a second, looking around for my newest Pokemon. I spotted the energetic Sneasel sitting on a rock to my right.

"Hey Sneasel, how'd you sleep?"

My reply was a happy nod and a big grin, the sunlight glinting off of Sneasel's claws and fangs.

I got to my feet and stretched.

"I'm gonna head over to the river for a bit." I needed to clean myself up again. I was hoping the water would be a little bit warmer than the night before, but I wasn't getting my hopes up. That water was freezing.

As I slowly waded into the river, I thought about how I had actually survived an Ursaring attack. Maybe I had grown stronger these last few days, with every move being completely up to me. I just hoped we didn't run into anymore bear Pokemon. One was definitely enough.

After awhile, I trudged back up to where I had slept the night, still feeling a little tired. I guess being locked in combat with a homicidal bear can tire you out a little. Noticing Houndour and Sneasel sitting off to the side, talking, I popped a few more berries into my mouth, finishing off our meal from last night.

I silently walked around Sneasel's den, admiring the work she had done to make her home camouflaged with the stones. She had plastered mud around the entrance of the den to make it look like an ordinary hole, and the den burrowed deep into the pile of rocks. I was amazed to see that the tunnel was covered from top to bottom with soft moss.

Looking back at the Sneasel, I thought to myself that she must have really liked us to sleep with us out here, instead of in her soft little home.

"Alright guys, I'm still kinda hungry." I walked over to my two Pokemon.

"Snea!" Sneasel instantly ran into her burrow, and came back with some more fruit.

"Thanks. This should be good." Sneasel had a few bites, and Houndour had a nibble or two, but I ate most of the food. I guess, seeing as I was a lot bigger than ether of them, I needed to eat a lot more.

"OK guys. I had a vision. To the north of here, there's a cave. Through that cave is another village. A new home for us. I'm sure of this." I smiled excitedly at the idea.

Houndour and Sneasel seemed excited too. I figured Houndour had been explaining to Sneasel what the two of us had gone through before we met her, and obviously she was in. Good. We needed all the help we could get.

We left Sneasel's home, the little weasel looking sadly over her shoulder as we started the trek back to the village.

"Hey Sneasel, don't worry. We'll come back someday." I smiled at my Pokemon, and that seemed to cheer her up.

--

After what I guessed to be at least a half an hour, we cleared out of the underbrush that separated my village from Sneasel's home. Sneasel had led us the long way back, because we didn't want to run the risk of finding that Ursaring again.

We headed to the top of Trudgeling Hill, a huge hill that overlooked everything around it, even some of the trees. At the top, I looked out for my village. Too busy to explain myself to Houndour and Sneasel, I ran down the hill in the direction of the village.

My two puzzled Pokemon ran behind me. We eventually reached the outskirts of the village, and I smiled sadly as I remembered the horrors from the day before. Had it only been a day ago? It felt like a year.

I noticed that the village was still on fire in some places, but realized that no one had even tried to put out the enormous fire, so it would take a while to go out. The three of us trudged along the dirt path inside of the village. Tears welled up in my eyes as I remembered how I could have been one of the people who never survived the attack, who would never know what had truly happened.

But I didn't know either, did I?

I was still scared. The Shadow. I was sure that the attackers were them. Who else could it be? They could still come back for me. After all, they were looking for a guy named Syphon. That was me. But how would they know that I had survived? Houndour shook me from my thoughts and looked at me with his big, inquisitive eyes.

"You'll know why we're here soon." I said to him. As we ran to the destination I was searching for, I spotted the sign in the center of our village. I decided to read it one last time.

"Limestone Village, the quiet town of peace and happiness. Not a chance." I said soberly as Sneasel nodded.

After a bit more walking, we reached the area I had been searching for.

It was my destroyed home.

I ran to the back of the pile of debris, where my bedroom had been located.

"Alright guys, this is a long shot, but let's hope my compass is still working, and not a pile of ashes right now." I said softly, and started to sift through the remains of my home.

I started to get tears in my eyes again as I dug through the remains of my childhood life. I found a half-burned picture frame of me and my Dad, posing for a picture at the annual Pokemon Contest our village held.

After looking around for a little bit longer, I started to get angry. Angry at The Shadow. Angry at my life. I had been a good guy all my life, and this was how I was repaid. I gritted my teeth together and tossed a wooden plank to the side.

"It's-Not-Fair!" I screamed. Houndour ran up to me, but I backed away. I probably would have started yelling even more had it not been for a bright light that appeared right in front of me.

"You again!" I called out. Houndour and Sneasel approached it tentatively.

"What are you? Why are you teasing me like this?!" I screamed at the light. I started to feel really stupid. It wasn't a Pokemon, or a human, or anything. Just some stupid light.

I was about to start swearing at the thing when it suddenly dropped into the wreckage of my home. Confused, I bent over and dug where the light had dropped. I didn't find the light, but I did see something.

My compass.

I reached down and picked up the red and blue guide. It was slightly cracked, but it worked, much to my relief. I looked at Houndour and Sneasel. I could tell that they were just as confused about the mysterious light as I was, but I figured it had helped us find the compass.

"Whatever you are…Thanks, I guess." I said aloud, incase the light was listening. Do bright beams of light have ears? I didn't know. I didn't really care either.

We were headed north.

--

As we trudged north, I couldn't help but think of the mysteries that surrounded my life. Only fourteen, and yet I had so many problems. I was an orphan. I had no home, no where to go. Some weird cult-gang thing was trying to kill me. And I had no answers.

I looked down at Houndour, who loyally walked by my side, and at Sneasel, who ran ahead of us happily. At least I wasn't alone. That would be the worst.

--

It was the thoughts of avenging my family and friends that kept me occupied as we walked on throughout the day. Once we had to take a detour to avoid a winding river, and twice we had to stop to pinpoint the direction we had to head in. By the time the daylight was receding from the sky, painting the heavens a brilliant red tinge, we could see a great looming shape in the distance.

"C'mon you guys, we're almost there!" I cheered wearily as we sped up. Sneasel still led the group, hopping and swinging from trees. Houndour ran on ahead too, howling triumphantly. I felt happy too. Taking a look at the sign beside the cave, I learned where we were.

We had reached Rockstead Cave.

The entrance loomed before us. The inky blackness looked like a gaping maw, ready to swallow us whole. Just as we were about to enter, I heard a rustle in the bushes, and Houndour and Sneasel began to bark and screech at the creature.

"Not again…" I started to sweat. If we were attacked by another Pokemon, I was gonna lose it. To my relief, a small boy stepped out of the bushes. I relaxed.

Then I tensed up again, because he was followed by a very brawny Machoke.

Houndour and Sneasel backed away, but still stood in front of me. I eyed the boy carefully. He had black hair that looked like a bowl cut. I had to stop myself from smirking. He also had narrow eyes that seemed very intelligent, but they showed no emotion whatsoever.

I was the one to break the tension.

"Wh-Who are you?" I asked, my two Pokemon getting ready for battle, just in case.

"I do not want to hurt you." The boy took a step forward. I saw this as a threat. I'm sorry to say that I was tense from the long walk over, and pretty annoyed at anything that moved.

"Stay away from me!" I barked, and lunged at him. For a second, I saw shock in the boy's eyes, but his Machoke swatted me away, and his face returned to an unemotional mask.

"I am a friend." He stated calmly. I wiped my face with my hand, and tried to calm down.

"Fine, but who are you? Just answer that."

"I am a survivor from the attack on Limestone Village. I figured that you were, too." The boy said.

"You're from Limestone?" I asked incredulously. I had never seen this boy before, but, then again, there were a few people I hadn't known too well. The ones that lived on the outskirts, and who didn't attend our school, or our festivals. The ones who preferred to live in their own, smaller groups. I guess he was one of them.

He _**was **_kinda weird.

The boy nodded. "Indeed. I hid in the bushes with my Machoke here. I think those people who attacked did not see me. We hid in the bushes for awhile, but we soon grew hungry. We tried to find our way back, however we ended up lost. I suppose we wandered about, and then found you." The boy explained.

I still didn't know what to believe. His story seemed kinda believable.

"So, kid, what's your name?" I asked.

"Do not call me a child. I am thirteen, but I doubt that you are much older than that. My name is Grethaius." The boy said.

I looked at Grethaius' Machoke. Something like that would be really helpful…

"So Grethaius – mind if I call you Greth? It's just a lot shorter – What do you want? Are you going to go through this cave?"

"Yes and yes. I was about to ask you that same question. I hope not to encounter any other foes, but your allegiance could prove useful in battle." Greth stated simply. I didn't really like this kid. He made me conscious of my own vocabulary, which was a little weak.

Without another word, we headed into the cave.

While we walked through, I decided to break the ice again.

"So Greth-"

"I told you. Do not call me by some strange nickname of yours."

I ignored him. "Why do you want to go through this cave?"

"Is it not the same reason as yours? To find a new civilization, a new home."

I relaxed a little, or as much as you can with a Machoke breathing down your neck.

I was going to speak up again, but Greth started to talk first.

"You have not yet told me what your name is."

I paused for a second, and the only thing you could hear was the dripping of water off to the side.

"Uh…" I thought. I didn't want to tell him I was Syphon. What if he really _was _a part of The Shadow?

"I don't really wanna talk right now. My head's still a little fuzzy." Yeah, real nice cover-up.

I didn't hear a reply, so I guessed Greth was fine with my answer. We continued on through the cave.

It was actually really dark. It was even darker than the sky on a cloudy night. I felt a drop of water land on my head, and then another. As I was moving into another spot, I slipped on a puddle and Machoke grabbed me.

"Thanks Machoke. I owe you-"I started, but then stopped. I couldn't believe the thought hadn't hit me before. Greth couldn't have had a Machoke and lived in Limestone.

Wild Machoke didn't live around here.

I started to get a little nervous. Tentatively, I took a step away from Machoke. Just in case. This was it. The moment of truth.

"Greth, there aren't any Machoke – or Machop - in Limestone. You're not from Limestone Village, are you?" I asked.

I could vaguely make out the boy shaking his head. "Clever. Very clever, my friend."

He took a step forward, stepping in the puddle I had just been in. He slipped, and fell to the ground. His shirt sleeve lifted up, revealing a black wristband around his right forearm.

If this had been one of those really dramatic movies, I would've gasped right then and there.

But I didn't. I lunged at the kid.

"I'll kill you!" I screamed, attacking Greth with everything I had. I noticed out of the corner of my eye Houndour and Sneasel jumping on Machoke, but the muscular Pokemon pulled them both off.

"Oh, crap." I felt Machoke's arms wrap around me, and toss me to the side. I was lucky I hit the cave wall with my shoulder, and not my head. That would've been bad.

Greth clambered to hit feet. "Please, stop this. I can explain."

I felt like I would explode. I didn't want answers. I wanted to hurt Greth.

"Houndour, Ember, now!" I yelled.

"Machoke, Karate Chop!" Greth countered, and Machoke's arm cut through the air like a knife, blocking the flames.

I saw another Karate Chop coming straight for me. As I ducked underneath of the blow, I heard the hand whistle through the air. I hit the ground and rolled to one side. Hopping back up, I tried to locate Houndour and Sneasel.

Narrowly side-stepping another Karate Chop, I called out to Greth, "You're a part of The Shadow, aren't you? You've been sent to kill me, right? To, "clean up" after the others? I'll kill _you_!"

Greth just shook his head and said, "I am terribly sorry. You are mistaken; however I hope to clear things up soon. Please, come with me now, and I shall tell you about The Shadow."

I couldn't comprehend his words. I was too enraged. After almost three days of wondering, and always being in fear, I had something to blame my problems on. Something to use, as a scapegoat. Something to channel my anger into.

Choking back tears, I screamed out, "Houndour, Sneasel, hit Machoke with a Flamethrower and Ice Beam combo!"

Flames and ice shot towards the burly Fighting Pokemon, but it used a Protect to block the entire attack. Machoke smiled, relieved that it had thought of the move. Greth then told it to hit Houndour with a Mega Punch.

"If you will not come easily, I will have to use force." He stated coldly.

"Maaaaaaaaaaa-CHOKE!" Machoke yelled as its fist started to glow. Houndour lunged at Machoke, teeth bared, but it was kicked back to the ground. Machoke then jumped up into the air and lunged downwards, fist leading. Right when the Mega Punch was about to hit Houndour, Sneasel jumped in front of the attack and blocked it with her claws. Sneasel was sent flying back, but Houndour hadn't been hit.

"Snea!" Sneasel yelped out in pain as she hit the ground.

"Damnit! Houndour, Quick Attack!" I ordered, which hit Machoke square in the chest.

Machoke was knocked back against the wall, and I yelled out for Houndour to use a Flamethrower. Machoke was hit, and the cave wall seemed to collapse as Machoke crumpled to the ground, rocks entombing it.

I wiped the sweat from my brow.

"One more Flamethrower. At Greth." I ordered.

"Houuuuuuundddd!" My Pokemon growled furiously as the flames shot out at Greth.

The boy leapt to one side, his side being scorched by the flames. He hit the ground running and dove behind a boulder. Houndour ran behind the boulder, about to use a Bite. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Machoke pull itself out of the pile of rocks, and leap towards Houndour, knocking it in the side of the head with a Mega Kick.

"Hound!" Houndour growled as he was knocked back. Greth crawled out from behind the boulder and yelled out for Machoke to use a Headbutt. Machoke charged forward, head butting Houndour and knocking it out.

I swore at Greth and his Machoke, and ran towards them. I lunged at Greth, ready to tear him apart.

Right when I was about to punch him as hard as I could, strong arms wrapped around me and sent me flying. Cradling my head, I landed, hard. I crumpled to the ground, my head spinning. I couldn't hear anything, all I could feel was the pain pounding throughout my skull.

I saw a small shape run towards me, and I realized that it was Sneasel. It lifted my head up, its eyes full of worry and concern.

"Sel?!"

I then saw a hefty figure lumber towards Sneasel, and I yelled out for Sneasel to turn around, but nothing came out of my mouth. Fortunately, Sneasel saw the terror in my eyes and swiveled around, claws ready for battle.

A strong hand came down, but Sneasel deflected the blow and hit Machoke with a Quick Attack. Machoke staggered backwards, exposed for another attack. Sneasel shot towards Machoke's chest, and attacked it with a Slash. Blood poured out of the Machoke's chest, but it crawled back up to its feet. Greth ordered a Brick Break, which hit Sneasel, sending her flying back.

We couldn't take much more of this.

I caught Sneasel as she was flying back. I pleaded with her to hold off the Machoke for a few more minutes, and sprinted off to find Houndour. I had a plan…

Behind me, I heard Sneasel's anguished cries as she took another hit. Suppressing tears, I found Houndour, lying on the ground, fur matted with blood.

"Houndour! I'm sorry! Please, wake up!" I shook my friend back to consciousness, and told him that he had to shoot a Flamethrower at Machoke, as hard as possible.

Houndour nodded and started to power up for the attack. I crouched down, hoping that the darkness would conceal me. I saw Sneasel get knocked back again, and Machoke raised its arms triumphantly.

"Now, Houndour!" I screamed. Houndour leapt towards Machoke and shot a Flamethrower straight at it. The Fighting Pokemon saw the attack and rolled out of the way. I collapsed to the ground. That had been our last chance, and Machoke had dodged it…

Well, it wasn't much of a plan, I'll now admit. Better than nothing, though, right? I thought that Sneasel could've been a distraction, or something. Give me a break.

Suddenly, the flames illuminated the cave long enough for me to see where it was headed; a shelf at the top of the cave. The flames hit the location, and rocks started to fall down from the top of the cave. I looked up in horror as a rock tumbled down, about to land on me. By instinct alone, I rolled out of the way, narrowly avoiding the enormous rock. I felt the tremor as it hit the ground, and Machoke, Greth, and Houndour were knocked off of their feet.

Another stone landed right beside my head, nearly killing me.

"To the exit, now!" Greth yelled above the noise.

I scooped up Houndour and ran towards Sneasel, grabbing her claw. She flipped herself onto my back, and I sprinted for what I thought was the exit. I sidestepped another bolder as it hit the ground, leaving a giant gap in the ground. We would have to jump it.

I tossed Houndour over, and then Sneasel leaped over herself. My two Pokemon looked at me, apprehensive. I took a deep breath, and jumped. For a second I didn't think I was going to make it, and true fear filled me. A scream rose into my mouth, but the next second I was over the gap.

Relieved, but still in danger, the three of us ran towards the exit of the cave. I saw light up ahead, and I sprinted towards that. Right when I was going to make it, a huge boulder landed down in front of me, blocking the exit. I turned around to Houndour and Sneasel, unsure of what to do.

We were trapped inside of Rockstead Cave.

--

_Hey, this is Cranihunt here. I'm going to start writing little author's notes at the end of every chapter of Topaz, from now on. It's a cool way to just explain my thoughts._

_Anyways, this chapter was a bit of a pain to write, because I wanted to get straight to the action, but I knew I had to kinda "build up" to it, if you will. The compass and traveling parts were a little annoying to describe, but writing the battle inside of Rockstead Cave made it worth it, I guess._

_If you're not sick of cliffhangers by now, you will be soon. Heh, Topaz has a lot of them. Stick around for Chapter Five if you want some answers._

_-Cranihunt_


	5. Chapter 5

Pokemon Topaz

_**Pokemon Topaz**_

_**Chapter Five: Houndoom's Fury**_

I feverishly thought of a plan, while dodging falling rocks. One large rock was almost upon me when I saw some flames shoot towards the stone and destroy it. I looked at where the flames had come from, and saw Houndour. Thanking it, I looked around the giant boulder, feeling around for a weak spot.

Even through my haze of panic, I still thought to myself about how rough the giant rock's surface was. Its craggy exterior was plagued with scars and holes.

To this day, I don't know why I was thinking about something like that at a time like this.

My hands ran across the stone's face, and I felt a small shudder from behind the rock. Desperate, I pushed on the rock at the location I had felt the shudder, but nothing happened.

I cursed, and looked around wildly for Houndour and Sneasel. They were running towards me, their eyes full of fear. I looked behind them and saw that a giant fissure was being created from the rockslide, and the fissure was headed directly at me.

I looked around for something, anything that would help out. Houndour and Sneasel reached me, and looked at me desperately. The fissure was almost upon us.

Then, there was an explosion.

It came from behind the boulder. The giant rock burst into hundreds of pieces, and one hit me right in the head. Or at least that's what I thought happened. I wasn't too sure what was going on then. Stumbling backwards, I fell into the crevice. I screamed out and a hand reached for me. The person who had grabbed me pulled me out of the fissure. The last thing I saw before I passed out was Greth, looking at me, concerned.

This was his entire fault…

--

I felt warm. Something soft covered me. I smiled, comfortable. I moved into a better position, and turned my head onto its left side. Pain shot through my temple and I yelled out. The pain didn't stop. It felt worse than anything that I had ever experienced, and my temple wouldn't stop throbbing.

I gritted my teeth, panting hard. Slowly, slowly, I began to calm down.

When the pain finally subsided, I opened my eyes, and looked around. I was in a dark room, so I couldn't see much of anything. I noticed that my sheets had blood on them, and my head was caked with both fresh and dry blood.

An elderly lady walked into the room, concern on her face. She saw me sitting up, and said in a grandmotherly voice, "Oh, thank goodness you're all right. You had us all worried."

I nodded, wordless. The women walked over to me and sat down on the bed, grabbing a towel from the nearby dresser. She put her hand on the back of my head and cleaned up the blood that had formed on my face. Satisfied, she stepped back, and turned on the lights.

The women looked to be in her late sixties, early seventies. She had grey hair, which she had in a bun. Her dress was the colour of rose petals, and the edges of her mouth were wrinkled from laughing. She smiled at me kindly, and asked for my name.

"Uh, Syphon." I said. I didn't feel like lying right now. I didn't feel like doing anything, to be honest. Besides, the lady seemed to be alright.

"Syphon, what a nice name. My name is Seriab. There are some clothes on the dresser that you can wear. After that, your friend is waiting for you in the next room."

I stared at her like she had asked me to jump off a cliff. Friend? Who else was I with?

"But, I wasn't-" I started, but then realized that Greth must've been here too. That creep.

"K, I'll see him." I said quickly.

I changed into the clothes, which were a little big, but were better than what I had been wearing. They didn't even look like clothes anymore. I saw a little sink to the side, and I splashed some water on my face. I managed to wipe away some dirt as best as I could.

When I was satisfied, I stepped through the door, and saw that I was in a common looking living room. There was an old couch in the corner. I could see some of the stuffing sticking out of it. I noticed some chairs in the opposite corner, and a large window covering almost all of a wall.

In the center of the room was Greth. He was wearing a green T-shirt and blue shorts. Not the stuff he had had on earlier. Probably something Seriab had given him. I tried to hold a smirk off of my face, as his clothes were several sizes too big for him.

He smiled warmly at me and said, "I see that you are awake. Come, I need to speak to you in private." He motioned for me to follow.

I looked over at Seriab, and she nodded warmly. Besides my head feeling a little fuzzy, I was alright, so I followed Greth outside of the house.

We walked out the door, and I was surprised how chilly it was. I stared at Greth.

"Nice clothes. I like how your shirt goes past your knees." I commented.

Greth ignored me. I guess he didn't share my amazing sense of humour. After eyeing me for a few seconds, he whispered, "I believe that we should-"

I interrupted him. This was too much.

"Wait, you're not even gonna say you're sorry? After attacking me back in the cave? After tricking me into joining up with you? You're not even gonna apologize for nearly killing me? Oh, and I guess you thought I had forgotten that you're part of The Shadow, huh?"

I paused for breath. Greth spoke up.

"You were the initial reason that that skirmish began. Please, do not shout, as the passerby will most likely overhear, and that would-"

"Shut up with the big words! Either I get some answers right now, or you're done." I stepped towards Greth, and he seemed to get a little nervous.

"I-If you care about Yogrin, you will follow me." Greth stated, and turned. He walked into a nearby alley.

"If you're gonna sneak up on me in here and attack me, well, I'm ready." I warned.

The boy sighed. "Do you ever cease your accusations? This is merely to avoid anyone overhearing you and your shouting."

I had to stop myself from starting up with another comeback.

"Fine. But it's Q and A time."

"First, I must tell you some facts about me." Greth said quickly.

I looked down at the boy, who was at least a head and a half shorter than I was. I then waited until he started to talk again.

"First of all, I am not a member of The Shadow. You must believe me, or else we shall get nowhere in this conversation.

Secondly, this is Tivanti Village. If you know your Abonade Region Geography, then you will remember that this village is northwest of both Rockstead Cave and Limestone Village. I thought that you may want to know this, for your sense of directions.

Finally, Yogrin is being held prisoner by The Shadow. He will not be killed, until The Shadow has what they are looking for. You."

"How-"I interrupted. This was getting a little strange.

"You see, The Shadow is after a boy named Syphon. They know that you live in a small village, in northwestern Abonade. I suppose that they feel destroying and plowing through every village they find is a suitable manner to kill someone, unless they have other plans."

My head was spinning. "Why would they want me? It's not like I've even met any of them before! How do you even know any of this?!" I had to lean back against the wall, because my legs were giving out from under me.

"I was at one time a part of their organization. However, I do not share any of their views. I abandoned them, needing to find you, Syphon. To tell you what I am about to tell you next."

This was it. Here came the big one.

At that point, a burly man, wearing a red jacket and long, saggy sweatpants, walked over to us.

Greth immediately stopped talkiing, and said, "Yes, Jerigh?"

The man, Jerigh, said, "Seriab, wants to see you." His voice was very deep, but it sounded kind. He reminded me of a Blaziken; big and strong, but kind and gentle around those that it trusted. I figured Jerigh was Seriab's son or something.S

We followed behind the man, and the three of us entered the little house. Seriab greeted us, and motioned for the three of us to sit down at a table in another room. I spotted potatoes, steak, and salad. My mouth started to water as I remembered how long it had been since I last ate. We all sat down, and Seriab said, "So Syphon, I suppose you want to know how you ended up here, in Tivanti Village."

I nodded, half a steak already in my mouth.

Jerigh began to speak. "Well, you see, yer friend here ran into town, yelling for help. I ran over to him, and he explained that you two were in Rockstead Cave, and it started to collapse in on itself. He also said that you, Syphon, were still inside, and so I went with my Golem and ordered an Explosion. That blew the boulder in front of the cave entrance to bits, it did. I managed to get you before you fell in that crevice. Smart thinkin', on my part, but I'm glad that yer both alive, I s'pose. That about sums it up."

Seriab nodded admirably at Jerigh, and said, "You boys were quite brave to walk through Rockstead Cave. Why did you, anyways?"

Before I could respond, Greth said, "We were traveling to meet a friend, who lives near this village." I stopped myself from smiling, relieved that Greth had thought things through.

I heard a noise coming from the other room. Excusing myself from the table, I went into the other room and saw that Houndour, Sneasel, and Machoke were eating some Pokechow. I smiled at my Pokemon, relieved that they were safe.

"Good, I was starting to wonder where you guys were." Houndour and Sneasel looked up from their food and nodded warmly. I could tell that my two Pokemon and Machoke were getting along fine.

_**So maybe Greth is alright after all.**_ I thought to myself.

I walked back to the table, and Seriab looked over at me. "Yes, I forgot to mention that your Pokemon are all doing fine. They just woke up now; they've been sleeping so soundly. Getting back to you two, would you boys like to stay the night?"

I nodded, thanking Seriab. It would be good to sleep in a bed again. Greth stared at something I couldn't see.

After we had eaten, Greth and I had some time alone with our Pokemon. I explained to Houndour and Sneasel all that had transpired between Greth and me.

"He still has some explaining to do, but you guys seem to be alright with Machoke, so I don't know what to believe. He said he used to work for The Shadow, but I dunno." Houndour and Sneasel just looked at me, confused.

Houndour, Sneasel and I headed over to Greth's room. I knocked on the door, and slowly opened it.

"Hey Greth I-"

"Please, I do not care for that name."

"Sorry, but you still have to finish your story."

Greth sighed. I walked into his room, and my two Pokemon walked in after him. I sat down on his bed, smiling slightly. My smile was wiped off of my face when I saw Machoke staring at me.

"As I was about to say back in the alley, I soon learned of some of The Shadow's plans. The Shadow wants to change this world, somehow, shape it to their liking. Yogrin is the only person alive who knows of a prophecy, which speaks of a boy like you who will rise up to defeat The Shadow. That's why I fled the organization, to find you, Syphon. To save you. I do not believe in what The Shadow is doing, and now I am a fugitive. If they find me, they will kill me. But first, they will kill you. The Shadow is scared that the prophecy is true."

A million questions and thoughts flew through my head. I tried to put what I had learned together. The Shadow captured Yogrin…because he knew where a prophecy speaking of The Shadow's downfall was. And I was a part of it.

"This is too much. I can't do this. I don't want to." Houndour started to whimper softly. I could tell my friend didn't like what we had been dragged into.

"I am sorry Syphon, but this is all too real." I guess that was Greth's idea of comforting me.

I could feel myself starting to get angry. But I also felt scared. I didn't really know what I was feeling, actually. I realized that I had to find out as much as possible, and this was a golden opportunity.

"Do you know of a guy named Basktrix? Or how about Hrellgren?"

Greth's eyes widened slightly. He quickly whispered, "How do you know those names?"

Before I had walked into Greth's room, I would've felt good knowing that I threw Greth off guard. I was tired of him using his big words, and acting so mature, and everything that he was doing.

But not now. I was all business.

"Syphon, Basktrix is one of the strongest members of The Shadow. Hellgren too is a very formidable foe. How do you know these two?"

"They attacked me, in Limestone. Destroyed everything." I almost spat.

Greth nodded, looking worried. I guess I was looking a little worried too.

"Hey but wait. How'd you know that I was Syphon?" I quickly realized that I had never told Greth my name.

"I had a feeling. Let's leave it at that. Now, let us get some sleep. I know nothing more than what I have told you." Was my answer. Somehow I got the feeling Greth did.

I nodded though, and got off of the bed. Houndour hopped down, and Sneasel, studying her claw like a human would a fingernail, did the same. I was just about to leave the room when I turned back.

"Y'know, for a really smart guy, you made one really stupid mistake. Why would you leave that wristband that all Shadow members wear on your arm?"

Greth pulled up his sleeve, and felt his arm where the band was. Closing his eyes, he spoke.

"It is not a simple wristband. It is a symbol of The Shadow, branded on to our skin, to remind us that once you are a part of it, you cannot ever escape. Goodnight."

And with that, I sensed it was time to leave. I walked over to where my room was.

"C'mon guys, let's get some sleep." I smiled as Houndour and Sneasel slowly walked into the room. I crawled into the bed, Houndour and Sneasel at my feet.

Sighing, I went over my thoughts. So much had been revealed to me, but I had more questions than ever. I was a part of some crazy prophecy that would bring The Shadow down, and Yogrin knew where it was. Too much to think about right now. I closed my eyes, and drifted off to sleep.

--

My eyes opened. I didn't know why I had woken up, but I felt tense. It didn't matter. I was pretty tired and I figured I had only been asleep for a few hours.

I closed my eyes again, but then heard a scream coming from outside of the hut. Jolted awake, I hopped down off of the bed. Houndour and Sneasel woke up and hopped off, too.

Then, I heard another scream.

Greth ran into my room, his eyes wide. "Get out of there!" He screamed. I wondered what he was talking about. Suddenly, a giant claw burst through the ceiling and landed right beside me.

I yelled, and ran to the door. Another claw burst through the ceiling, and I realized that the claws belonged to a Charizard. Sneasel leapt at the creature but was knocked backwards.

"Let's go!" I yelled to my Pokemon and we dashed out of the room.

In the hallway, I saw Seriab and Jerigh.

"We're under attack! Get outta the house!" Jerigh yelled above the screams, growls, and explosions coming from outside. No sooner had we all ran out of the hut when a giant ball of flames landed on top of the home.

Seriab screamed at the loss of her home. I looked up, and saw that the Charizard was the one who had destroyed the hut. Greth tapped me on the shoulder, and simply said, "Look."

I peered in the direction that Greth had pointed to. There, seventy or eighty men marched through the village. They were issuing commands to their Pokemon.

I clenched my teeth together. The Shadow was here. And Tivanti Village would soon become just like Limestone Village. All because they were looking for me.

"Why are these men doing this?" Seriab wailed. Greth and I knew. Kinda. Jerigh threw a Pokeball on the ground, and out popped a Raichu.

"Raichu, Thunderbolt on the Charizard!" Jerigh commanded.

The mouse Pokemon shot a gleaming bolt of lighting towards the Charizard, but the dragon lazily flicked it away with one claw. Opening its mouth, the Charizard unleashed a stream of fire at Raichu, instantly knocking it out.

"Greth, we've gotta help!" I yelled.

Greth shook his head. "You cannot. If Team Shadow realizes that you are here, they will stop at nothing to get you!"

I realized that Greth was right; that I could do nothing. Then a flame rebounded into my shoulder, knocking me back. Seriab screamed her concern, and rage consumed me.

"Come on!" I screamed at my Pokemon, and I charged towards my attacker. Ignoring the protests of Greth, my Pokemon and I darted off towards the Charizard.

"Houndour, Sneasel, double Faint Attack!" I yelled. My Pokemon both disappeared, and then reappeared right in front of the Charizard. Before they could ram into it, however, the Charizard unleashed a Flamethrower, which knocked Sneasel back.

"Machoke, use Mega Punch!" Greth yelled. Machoke ran forward and punched Charizard right in the stomach.

"I cannot let you die, but make sure no one sees us!" The boy looked at me out of the corner of his eye.

"Chaaaaar!" The Charizard roared as it flapped its wings. It flew into the air, and then performed a Wing Attack. The blow was enough to knock out Machoke.

"It's up to you, Houndour!" I yelled.

Houndour charged towards the Charizard, but the red and yellow dragon used a Slash to knock Houndour off of its feet.

"Houndou!" Houndour yelled as it fell to the ground. The dragon slapped Houndour with its tail. Houndour went flying back, hitting me in the process.

I fell to the ground. "Houndour….Get offa me." I said. The little black dog rolled off, but then collapsed out of exhaustion.

The Charizard probably would've gone and ate us there, but it began to battle a group of villagers which had attacked its back side.

Scanning the area, I looked around for something to battle the Charizard with. I spotted a Shadow member out of the corner of my eye. He was running towards Greth, a Sandslash right behind him.

"Greth! Behind you!" I called out. It was just in time. Greth saw the man and called on Machoke. The burly creature struggled to its feet. I couldn't help but note how strong and determined it was. Machoke jumped towards the man's Sandslash.

The two Pokemon began to battle.

Sandslash curled up into a ball, spikes pointing every which way. Machoke approached Sandslash carefully, ready to jump back. The little ball that was Sandslash rolled towards Machoke at an amazing speed, but Machoke jumped over the Sandslash. The Echidna Pokemon wasn't done, though. It hopped back onto its feet and shot a Pin Missile at Machoke.

"Choke!" Machoke yelled as it was pelted in the back with the missiles.

"Now Sandslash, hit it with a Slash!" The man yelled. Sandslash darted forward, its claw ready. At the last second, Machoke countered with a Mega Punch, sending both Pokemon back. Machoke managed to land on its feet.

"Machoke, Revenge!" Greth yelled. Machoke started to glow red. Its lip curled into a snarl as it ran over to the Sandslash and hit it to deal the finishing blow.

Startled by Machoke's power, the man returned his Sandslash to its Pokeball.

"Wait a second…Greth, is that you?" The man asked, astonished. I could see Greth take a step back.

"Machoke, Hyper Beam." He ordered.

"Wait, wait! I won't tell no one!" The Shadow man pleaded as Greth's Pokemon charged up. I couldn't move. And I couldn't believe what I was watching. Machoke released the attack, which destroyed the Shadow member.

"Greth…you killed him." I thought I was going to be sick. Even after all of my hatred towards The Shadow, I had just watched someone get blown to pieces.

"It is for the best." Greth stated coldly.

Suddenly, his eyes widened, and a powerful force hit me from behind. I landed on the ground face first. Hopping back to my feet, I saw a Houndoom staring at me. It bared its fangs and shot a Flamethrower, which scorched my side.

Yelling out in pain, I stumbled backwards. Houndour and Sneasel both lunged at the Houndoom, but it shook off both of them. It shot a Flamethrower at Sneasel and then Tackled into Houndour.

"Houndou!"

"Sel snease!"

My two Pokemon cried out as they hit the ground, climbing back to their feet slowly.

I looked around wildly for Greth, but he was no where to be found amidst the chaos of the village. It would have to be just me against the Houndoom.

A muscular man then stepped out of a shadow. He was the one in control of the Houndoom. I recognized his mustache, and his dark skin. He sneered at me, and my blood started to boil.

Facing me, stood one of the strongest Trainers in the region of Abonade.

Basktrix.

--

_Alright, so we finally learn a bit about what's going on in this story. I guess some people have a lot more questions now, though, than before they read this chapter. Even I'm a little confused as to when I'm gonna fit in all of the key plot scenes, so you're not alone!_

_This is probably one of my least favourite chapters in the whole story. I don't care much for Chapter Two, either, for the same reason. Both chapters just don't have a lot of action or anything, and are just there basically to tie a few things together. But, I think this chapter turned out alright. At least we got a little fighting in and some important information from Greth._

_That's all for now!_

_-Cranihunt_


	6. Chapter 6

Pokemon Topaz

_**Pokemon Topaz  
**_  
_**Chapter Six: New Hope**_

"Basktrix…" I whispered to no one in particular. The muscular man stared at me. I could detect no emotion from his face. Suddenly, he smiled at me, which confused me.

_**What's he doing?**_ _**Why do evil guys always find everything so amusing? **_I thought to myself.

"So, you managed to survive. I have to hand it you, kid, you're tougher than you look. Unfortunately, I need to finish what I started." Basktrix said gleefully, like a little kid in a candy shop.

I hated this guy. I couldn't stand him. He seemed like the kind who enjoyed kicking puppies. I probably wouldn't like him even if he wasn't a part of The Shadow, but I think that was definitely one of the contributing factors.

"But really, how did you survive? We looked all over for you, and couldn't see anyone. We thought we completely leveled that dump you call a village. You're a crafty one."

I stopped. How had they not seen me? Had the remains of Yogrin's hut really concealed me that much?

I took a step back, but Houndoom ran towards me, flames erupting from its jaws. Houndour jumped towards Houndoom and shot a Flamethrower at it.

"Hound!" Houndoom growled as it was scorched by the flames.

I saw Basktrix's mouth twitch slightly, but then he smirked and ordered a Take Down. Houndoom bounded toward Houndour and knocked it down.

"Houndour… C'mon. You can do it." I urged. Houndour steadily rose to his feet and growled fiercely at the enemy Pokemon. I noticed some movement out of the corner of my eye, and turned towards the movement. Sneasel was dashing towards us, her claws outstretched. With a deep war cry, she jumped into the air and shot an Ice Beam at Houndoom.

"Way to go, Sneasel!" I cheered. Sneasel landed on the ground and flashed her claws triumphantly. Houndour then ran over to the collapsed Houndoom and Tackled into it, sending the demonic dog rolling back to Basktrix.

"Is that all you got?" I asked. I was about to send out another taunt when something hit me from behind.

I fell to the ground, but, with the help of Houndour, managed to get back up to my feet. I saw that I had been hit by a rock, and wondered where it had come from. Suddenly, another rock hit me on the back. I whirled around again, looking for the attacker.

"What kind of trick is this, Basktrix?" I yelled.

Basktrix laughed and said, "Materialize, Haunter." A small cloud of purple smoke materialized beside Basktrix's head and it formed into the shape of a Haunter.

"Haauuuuunt!" The Ghost Pokemon chanted as it reached out with its claws. I jumped back, and issued a double Faint Attack from my Pokemon. Haunter laughed and disappeared, only to reappear by my side. Using its Ghostly powers, it lifted up Houndour with its mind. Sneasel lunged at Haunter, but the phantom used its powers to lift up another rock, and hurl it at Sneasel.

Sneasel landed at my feet, unconscious. I grimaced as I saw Haunter use its mental powers to knock Houndour against the ground.

"Houndour!" I yelled out as I tried to grab my Pokemon before it was lifted into the air again. I dove at Houndour, but was too late. The black dog was hurled against the ground again, and was knocked out.

"Douuu…" My friend panted before falling unconscious.

"So what are you going to do now, kid?" Basktrix sneered. I returned both of my Pokemon to their Pokeballs, wondering what the hell I _was _gonna do.

At that exact moment, I heard a voice ring behind me.

"Syphon, help me!" I turned around to see Seriab yelling at me. A group of Zangoose were closing in on her. I yelled out for her not to worry, but then I stopped. The look on Basktrix's face made my heart stop.

"So. I've found him. Finally, the boy named Syphon. And I've found him!" Basktrix was getting a little red now. I expected him to start foaming at the mouth any second now.

He continued, "How are you going to save Grandma, eh Syphon? You have no Pokemon left to defend her. How does this sound. You come with me, right now, and we'll spare her. We'll spare this entire village. Just come with me. I won't even hurt _you_. Promise."

I strongly doubted they wouldn't hurt me. But if I could save the village...

_**No, don't think like that! There's gotta be another way!**_ I thought to myself. What would they do to me if I turned myself in? Was Greth right? Was I the only one who could stop The Shadow from whatever they were doing?

At that moment, I'm not proud of what I did. But, it was the only thing I could think of.

I ran.

I took off, darting towards where Seriab had been. I looked back at Basktrix, but he was nowhere to be found. I turned my head back around and ran right into the Charizard. The force caused me to fall back. The dragon opened its mouth, baring its fangs at me, and released a bellow so great I thought my eardrums would burst.

I tried to crawl away from the creature, but it pinned me down with one claw. I struggled to get free, but I knew that it was futile.

I would die right here, crushed underneath the claw of a Charizard.

The Charizard was just about to finish me off when a Hyper Beam hit the Charizard square in the chest. Releasing its grip on me, it staggered backwards, and then collapsed on a hut. I cautiously got up, and saw Jerigh and his Golem.

They both ran over to me, and Jerigh said, "Are ya all right? Nothin' broken?"

I nodded, not trusting my tongue. "There are too many of these people." Jerigh stated. I already knew that.

"I'm gonna have ta do the only thing we _**can **_do ta save everyone." Before I could ask what Jerigh meant, he ran away, his Golem rolling behind him.

I looked around for Greth, but he was nowhere to be found. I then remembered Seriab, and looked around for her. It was impossible to tell who was where with the chaos going on all around me. I could only pray that she would be safe.

I heard a roar come from behind me. Three Rhydon and two Swampert were charging towards me, a group of people, including Basktrix, trailing behind them.

My heart leaped out of my chest. How could I escape this stampede? Before I could think any further, the Pokemon closed in on me. They formed a tight circle around me, and then Basktrix walked towards me.

"Why are you people doing this?" I screamed at Basktrix.

He laughed and said, "You would never be able to comprehend the vision we have." Wondering what he meant, I looked around at the Pokemon and Shadow Trainers.

"What do you-"

I was cut off by Jerigh's voice erupting from the noises of the attack.

"Everyone, quickly, behind the boulders!" The men and Pokemon turned to see what he meant, and I took that moment to escape. I darted in between the creatures, and broke free of the circle.

"He's getting away!" I heard one man cry. I could see villagers from every part of the village running behind a crop of boulders and large stones. I then spotted Jerigh, and ran up to him.

"What are you doing?" I yelled. Before I could get a reply, a villager wrapped his arm around me and led me behind the boulders. Wondering what was going on, I yelled to the man, "What's happening?"

The man shook his head and said, "Jerigh's such a brave man." Horrified at what that might mean, I peered out from behind the group of boulders the villagers were hiding behind. I saw that some Team Shadow men, including Basktrix, were unleashing Flying Pokemon and flying away. In that split second, I realized that there had been some women Trainers in the group, but their hair had all been cut short so I had just assumed they were all guys.

So I guess The Shadow wasn't sexist, after all.

I then realized that there were some Shadow members who hadn't come with a Flying Pokemon, and who were desperately trying to run away from the village. I figured these would be the people who were killed by whatever Jerigh was about to do. I almost felt bad for them.

Almost.

In the center of the village, stood Jerigh and Golem. "Ready, old friend?" Jerigh asked. The Golem nodded and Jerigh yelled out, "Explosion!"

That was the last I saw of Jerigh. He was enveloped in a burst of flashing lights which shot out in every direction. I heard the screams of pain from The Shadow members who hadn't escaped, and I felt the impact as the explosion hit the boulders.

Some of the boulders were destroyed from the explosion, and I felt bits and pieces of rocks fly past my face. I didn't dare open my eyes, I just kept huddled against the rocks, horrified at the sacrifice Jerigh had made.

--

It was a long time before anyone dared to peek out from the boulders. I was one of the first. What I saw appalled me. Bodies lay strewn everywhere, smoke still billowing out of some of the mangled corpses. The entire village was wrecked. And in the center, lay Jerigh.

It was terrible. You couldn't even recognize the guy. I'm not even gonna start to describe what his corpse looked like, because it's too gruesome for me to even think about.

We all ran over to his body. Several villagers, including Seriab, started to cry.

"Your son was a good man, Seriab. He sacrificed himself for us, and we are all grateful and proud of him." One man said to Seriab, placing an arm on her shoulder.

Many tears were shed that day, for we had lost the entire village, many men, including Jerigh, were killed, and Basktrix now knew who I was.

We may have stopped The Shadow from destroying the village, but at what cost? Countless had died, and those freaks could easily return, to finish us all off.

I felt sick.

--

I tried to sleep, but couldn't. My whole body was still full of adrenaline; I was ready to leap up at any moment. In the bed beside me, Houndour and Sneasel stirred. I knew that they were having difficulties falling asleep as well.

We were in the remains of Seriab's home. All of the villagers decided it would be best to get some sleep, and have a meeting tomorrow morning. I agreed. I was exhausted, and I bet that everyone else was, too. No point in having a meeting at three in the morning, full of cranky villagers.

I was still scared. The Shadow knew where I was, and knew what I looked like. Plus, Basktrix knew that I had a Houndour and a Sneasel. I wanted to leave Tivanti Village right now, but Greth insisted on staying the night. I guess he thought that we needed the rest. Besides, he said, they wouldn't have known I was here, had I just kept my cool.

He _**was **_right on that one.

I felt sleep overcome me, and I accepted it. Sleep was the one place I could truly feel safe.

--

I woke to the sound of hammers, and loud voices. I arose with a start, surprised to see Greth's door open, and the boy gone. I walked over to the destroyed window and saw that the villagers were busy fixing what they could, and rebuilding what they couldn't.

I heard Seriab behind me, and turned around to see her holding a tray with food on it. I took the food and ate it within a matter of minutes, then asked Seriab about Greth.

"Oh, your friend. I-I don't know. I'm sorry Syphon, I just need some time to…order my thoughts." And with that, Seriab shuffled into her room, where I could hear muffled sobs coming from.

I grimaced, remembering what I could about Jerigh. I hadn't known him very long, but he had saved my life twice, and sacrificed himself for the good of the village. I felt proud to have known him.

And I swore, right then and there, that his death would be avenged.

Standing alone in the destroyed little hut, my hatred for The Shadow grew even more. I looked down at my two Pokemon.

"Douuu…" Houndour rubbed against my side, trying to calm me. I smiled, and patted the little guy on the head.

--

Houndour and Sneasel walked beside me as I dodged swinging boards, hammers, and other things the villagers were building with. My plan of finding Greth wasn't going so well, especially with all of the commotion the villagers were making.

I had to hand it to them though, they were strong to go through what they did, and just get right up again and start rebuilding their lives. If only Limestone had been the same…

I snapped out of my thoughts as I spotted a boy with black hair and ran up to him.

"Hey Greth I-"I stopped. The kid had turned around, and it wasn't Greth.

I quickly walked around the kid, feeling a little embarrassed.

"Greth!" I shouted. I spotted Greth and his Machoke, leaning against a wall and watching some men repair a schoolhouse. He was speaking slowly to his Machoke, but I couldn't make out the words.

Houndour, Sneasel, and I ran over to him, and he instantly stopped talking.

"OK, what's going on? You all right from last night?"

"Yes Syphon, I am fine. Seriab spoke to me this morning; Jerigh's funeral is to be in the coming days. We must leave before then."

My mouth fell open. "Are you that cold that you don't wanna hang around and thank the guy, for all he's done? If it wasn't for him we'd both be dead, buddy."

"No, no, that is not the reason at all. Simply, The Shadow knows where you are. They might even know where I am. They will send scouts to watch over the village in secret, searching for us. We must not let them see us here again, or Tivanti Village will be under attack, once again. Do you wish that to happen?" Greth eyed me coldly.

I sighed. Greth was right. Was he ever not? The mysterious little guy seemed to hold all, if not most, of the answers. And yet, he wouldn't tell me everything he knew.

"You're right. Fine, where are we going?"

"I do not know where we can go, as The Shadow's influence is spreading all across Abonade. However, we must be polite. Go to Seriab, and explain to her that we are leaving. Do not give her too much information. Thank her, as well."

"Jeez, you're kinda demanding, aren't you? Fine, I'll go. Wait here, your majesty." I spat out the last few words, and stomped back to Seriab's hut. Houndour trotted behind me, with Sneasel leading us, always the happiest of our little group.

"Who does he think he is, ordering me around like that?" I pouted. "Why doesn't Greth just do it? Ugh, I really dislike that kid." I didn't care if my Pokemon disagreed with me; I was going to make it clear that I didn't like being ordered around by Greth.

A kid who acted and spoke like he was fifty.

We walked into a quiet alley with no one but a lone Meowth, looking for some scraps of food. It was a little creepy, but I stopped myself from being frightened.

How could I be afraid of a cat, when I had to take down a demonic organization bent on slaughtering me?

By the time we had returned to Seriab's home, a group of villagers were already hammering away at the roof. I smiled. There was hope in Tivanti Village. Hope is what they needed.

I needed some, too.

I found Seriab in the living room, or what was left of it. Seriab put down her knitting tools and smiled at me.

"Syphon, there you are. How are you doing?" She warmly asked.

"I'm good Seriab, thanks. But I've been talking with Greth, and we've decided that we're gonna head out. It's time to continue on, y'know? I spoke a little quickly, and I hoped that Seriab wasn't suspicious.

"That's quite alright; I guess you youngsters are always on the move these days, hmm? Besides, you best get out of here if those…attackers ever return." She smiled, but I could tell she was still upset.

"Right. Thank you, for everything Seriab. Me and Greth and all of our best wishes are with you."

"Oh but Syphon, I have a little something for you. Something to remember me by."

I followed the old lady to her bedroom.

"I had forgotten about these." She mumbled to herself.

Inside of her room, she took a large key from out of a drawer and unlocked a chest with it. I looked inside of the chest, and saw four Great balls.

"It has been a long time since anyone has needed these." She looked at the Greatballs fondly. "But now you two will probably need them. Use then sparingly, though, for they are quite rare."

"Thanks Seriab, these look really powerful." Sneasel grabbed one of them, and cocked her head to one side curiously. Houndour sniffed one of the Greatballs, and sneezed out a cloud of dust.

"Oh, and one last thing. Syphon, Yogrin gave this to me quite awhile back. He told me that, one day, a boy he knew named Syphon would come to this village, and that I should give this to him."

Seriab pulled out a bag pack and handed it to me. I opened it up to see a purple and green Pokeball. It had intricate symbols all around the outside, but when I tried to open it, nothing happened.

"Yes, you see, no one has ever been able to open that Pokeball. I hope that you will be able to solve the mystery of it, Syphon. Yogrin said you would need it. He also wanted me to give you this map of Abonade, and told me to tell you to head for the red star."

I was handed an old map, and I looked at it carefully. I spotted Tivanti village, and a little further north, a small red star.

"What is it?"

"I do not know, child. But I trust Yogrin. And I feel you should, too."

"Right. Seriab, I- thank you. I'll always remember you, and I hope Tivanti is restored to the way it once was." I smiled, and placed all of the new Pokeballs into my new bag pack.

This was weird. Yogrin knew I would come here…And he gave me some crazy Pokeball and a mysterious destination. What could it all mean?

"Seriab, one last question. How did you know Yogrin?"

"Yogrin is my brother, Syphon. I just hope he is doing well now, where ever he is.' The old women smiled at me sadly.

"Good luck to you, Syphon. You and your two darling Pokemon."

"Goodbye, Seriab." I was a little gloomy. Seriab had reminded me of my grandmother, and I was sad to leave her behind, especially with Jerigh gone.

The three of us left Seriab's home, and we headed back to where Greth was. Along the way, I passed by the building where Jerigh's body was being held, until a proper burial service could be done.

"Goodbye Jerigh. Thank you." I whispered, and started to jog.

When I had met up with Greth, I pulled out two of the four Greatballs, and handed them to him.

"A present from Seriab." I explained. I didn't show Greth the other Pokeball. I still didn't know what exactly was going through the kid's head.

"Oh, and this map here, we need to head for the red star. Yogrin gave it to Seriab to give to me, and trust me, Yogrin is a guy we can trust." I spoke quickly to Greth, hoping he'd understand.

"Yes, let us head to that location. It is better than just wandering about."

Our small group continued our journey. We walked for several minutes, until we had reached the edge of the village. All of us were silent, even Sneasel. We were all saving our energy for whatever was to come.

"Syphon, let us head off." Greth looked up at me.

"Goodbye, Tivanti Village. And Seriab. And Jerigh. Thank you for everything." I looked out at the busy little village. Houndour, Sneasel, and even Machoke all spoke softly, and then we began our quest.

--

_Alright, now the journey is starting to heat up! I like this part of the story, because next chapter introduces one of my favourite characters in the whole adventure. _

_We've also learned more about Yogrin's strange past, and how he seems to be leading Syphon to something. Who is Yogrin, exactly? I guess I'm the only one that knows!_

_That's all for now. Until next time,_

_-Cranihunt_


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